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Manhattan Beach Food & Wine Festival Draws Sold-Out Crowds

Sep 29, 2026 10:45AM ● By MB News Staff

(Crowds gathered at the Westdrift for the Manhattan Beach Food & Wine festival)

The Manhattan Beach Food & Wine festival - now in its third year - brought sold-out crowds for two nights in its new location at the Westdrift. 

The festival filled to capacity both nights, with 1,500 guests, bringing a total of 3,000 guests to the event. 

Manhattan Beach Food & Wine is a two-night strolling culinary extravaganza with two "Grand Tasting Celebrations" on the Friday and Saturday nights of the event. Each evening brings together the industry’s top tastemakers and culinary and beverage connoisseurs to celebrate an all-star lineup of 23 top chefs and restaurants, along with wineries, premier spirits, craft breweries, non-alcoholic beverages, live entertainment, and more.

The event drew chefs from across the country, from as far as Ft. Lauderdale and New Orleans. Featured Manhattan Beach chefs included Yoshiyasu Aiba from Sushi Roku; Jose Baca from Westdrift; Brendan Collins from BOA Steakhouse; Shaun Dry from Rock'N Fish; David LeFevre from The Arthur J, Fishing With Dynamite, and MB Post; Sherri Yard from Bakery By the Yard; Chris Feldmeier from Love & Salt; and Chris Park from The Strand House.

(Chris Feldmeier from Love & Salt served up grilled mortadella)


Park prepared a tasting of a bluefin tuna tostada and a braised beef short rib with polenta. He brought enough for 1,500 servings on Saturday night, he said, but had served them all by 8:00 p.m. "Next year, I'll bring 2,000," he told MB News. 

(Chris Park of The Strand House)


Manhattan Beach Food & Wine’s event beneficiary is Culinary Careers Program (C•CAP). Co-chaired by chef Marcus Samuelsson, C•CAP is a workforce development nonprofit that provides underserved teens pathways to pursue careers in the restaurant and hospitality industry. Each year C•CAP provides culinary, job and life skills in 186 schools across the United States across the state of Arizona, as well as in Baltimore, Camden, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City & Long Island, Newark, Philadelphia, suburban Maryland, and Washington DC.

This year’s event partners include Delta Air Lines, Westdrift Manhattan Beach, San Pellegrino, Chef Works, Sub-Zero, Wolf, Cove, and Southern California Restaurant Design Group.

Want to get a better picture of what the event looked like? See Manhattan Beach News' full reel from the festival here. 

Missed this year but want to attend next year? Visit https://www.manhattanbeachfoodandwine.com/ for more information. 


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